The role of the global cryosphere in the fate of organic contaminants
A. M. Grannas1,C. Bogdal2,K. J. Hageman3,C. Halsall4,T. Harner5,H. Hung5,R. Kallenborn6,P. Klán7,8,J. Klánová8,R. W. Macdonald9,10,T. Meyer11,and F. Wania11A. M. Grannas et al. A. M. Grannas1,C. Bogdal2,K. J. Hageman3,C. Halsall4,T. Harner5,H. Hung5,R. Kallenborn6,P. Klán7,8,J. Klánová8,R. W. Macdonald9,10,T. Meyer11,and F. Wania11
1Department of Chemistry, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085, USA
2Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
3Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9010 New Zealand
4Lancaster Environment Centre, Centre for Chemicals Management, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
6Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Christian Magnus Falsen vei 1, Postbox 5003, 1432, Norway
7Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
6Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Christian Magnus Falsen vei 1, Postbox 5003, 1432, Norway
7Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Received: 26 Jun 2012 – Discussion started: 10 Jul 2012 – Revised: 19 Feb 2013 – Accepted: 22 Feb 2013 – Published: 20 Mar 2013
Abstract. The cryosphere is an important component of global organic contaminant cycles. Snow is an efficient scavenger of atmospheric organic pollutants while a seasonal snowpack, sea ice, glaciers and ice caps are contaminant reservoirs on time scales ranging from days to millennia. Important physical and chemical processes occurring in the various cryospheric compartments impact contaminant cycling and fate. A variety of interactions and feedbacks also occur within the cryospheric system, most of which are susceptible to perturbations due to climate change. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the transport and processing of organic contaminants in the global cryosphere with an emphasis on the role of a changing climate. Given the complexity of contaminant interactions with the cryosphere and limitations on resources and research capacity, interdisciplinary research and extended collaborations are essential to close identified knowledge gaps and to improve our understanding of contaminant fate under a changing climate.
